1. Technical Field
The present invention relates generally to an improved data processing system, and in particular to a method and apparatus for managing applications on a server. Still more particularly, the present invention provides a method, apparatus, and computer implemented instructions for accessing applications on server using a universal resource locator.
2. Description of Related Art
The Internet, also referred to as an “internetwork”, is a set of computer networks, possibly dissimilar, joined together by means of gateways that handle data transfer and the conversion of messages from protocols of the sending network to the protocols used by the receiving network (with packets if necessary). When capitalized, the term “Internet” refers to the collection of networks and gateways that use the TCP/IP suite of protocols.
The Internet has become a cultural fixture as a source of both information and entertainment. Many businesses are creating Internet sites as an integral part of their marketing efforts, informing consumers of the products or services offered by the business or providing other information seeking to engender brand loyalty. Many federal, state, and local government agencies are also employing Internet sites for informational purposes, particularly agencies, which must interact with virtually all segments of society such as the Internal Revenue Service and secretaries of state. Providing informational guides and/or searchable databases of online public records may reduce operating costs. Further, the Internet is becoming increasingly popular as a medium for commercial transactions.
Currently, the most commonly employed method of transferring data over the Internet is to employ the World Wide Web environment, also called simply “the Web”. Other Internet resources exist for transferring information, such as File Transfer Protocol (FTP) and Gopher, but have not achieved the popularity of the Web. In the Web environment, servers and clients effect data transaction using the Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP), a known protocol for handling the transfer of various data files (e.g., text, still graphic images, audio, motion video, etc.). The information in various data files is formatted for presentation to a user by a standard page description language, the Hypertext Markup Language (HTML). In addition to basic presentation formatting, HTML allows developers to specify “links” to other Web resources identified by a Uniform Resource Locator (URL). A URL is a special syntax identifier defining a communications path to specific information. Each logical block of information accessible to a client, called a “page” or a “Web page”, is identified by a URL. The URL provides a universal, consistent method for finding and accessing this information, not necessarily for the user, but mostly for the user's Web “browser”. A browser is a program capable of submitting a request for information identified by an identifier, such as, for example, a URL. A user may enter a domain name through a graphical user interface (GUI) for the browser to access a source of content. The domain name is automatically converted to the Internet Protocol (IP) address by a domain name system (DNS), which is a service that translates the symbolic name entered by the user into an IP address by looking up the domain name in a database.
On the Web, the URL is the key to accessing everything on the Web, including Web sites, files, and applications. One wrong letter or a misplaced punctuation mark can make a difference between a usable and a useless URL for a Web site. For Web site developers one important item for considering during development of a Web site is an identification of the final URLs for that site. Failure to take this identification into consideration may result in frustrated users and unhappy customers.
In Web site development, several developers and analysts may simultaneously work on the actual development of a single Web site. It is important to development applications for the Web site as if they are actually being served up or accessed on the Internet. With the URL issue, the URL used by each developer working on the Web site must be the same if they are working with the same application. Web sites that make use of many different applications and development languages require different skills/expertise from a variety of developers. In order for those developers to use the same URL in their development, they must access the same files on the same host.
Therefore, it would be advantageous to have an improved method, apparatus, and computer instructions for managing development of applications.